Need to win the easy ones, and the Gaels do

ST. MARY'S 76, PEPPERDINE 49

Published 4:00 am, Friday, February 26, 2010

With little more than two weeks remaining before Selection Sunday, St. Mary's did to Pepperdine what a good team is supposed to do to a bad one:

The Gaels did not trail Thursday night as they pounded the Waves 76-49 at McKeon Pavilion, handing Pepperdine its 10th consecutive loss.

Omar Samhan picked up his 18th double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds - and he sat out the final 10:32.

With the Gaels (23-5, 10-3) hearing phrases like "the bubble," "last four in" and "first four out" over the past few weeks, Samhan appreciated a laugher.

"We don't want close games," Samhan said. "We don't want to be entertaining. I don't care if the fans are bored. We just want to get wins."

Thursday's win gave St. Mary's the second seed in the conference tournament that begins a week from tonight in Las Vegas. That means the Gaels get byes in the first two rounds.

For the third season in a row, the Gaels head into March with a resume that might or might not get them an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Two seasons ago, they got into the field of 65. Last year, they had to settle for the NIT.

St. Mary's head coach Randy Bennett believes the experience of the past two seasons helps.

"I know as a coach, familiarity calms you," Bennett said. "We have been here the last three years. Every game matters. There's pressure on every game. You have to deal with it."

Helping the Gaels deal with it Thursday was Matthew Dellavedova, who added 17 points as he went 5-for-7 from beyond the arc.

Mickey McConnell scored only one point, but he did contributed eight assists without committing a turnover.

Pepperdine (7-22, 3-10) brought an RPI of 300 into Thursday's game, and judging by the way the Waves played, they had clearly earned it. In fact, it's hard to believe there were 47 teams in the country with worse RPIs.

With six minutes remaining before halftime, the Waves had committed nine turnovers - and scored eight points.

Samhan records: The senior center became the school's career leader in blocked shots. His three Thursday gave him 240, one more than Diamon Simpson. Samhan also set the school record for most field goals in a season. He has 227, breaking the mark of 222 set by Nick Pappageorge in 1976-77.

Rooting for the Gaels: Unless USF beats Gonzaga on Saturday, it will need St. Mary's to beat LMU to get the fourth seed (and a first-round bye) in the conference tournament.